On the Side of Angels
by Lisa Moulton
Summary: A simple visit to Chicago becomes a runaway expedition for the guy who gets tomorrow's news today and a girl who is special in more ways than one.
1. Trouble's A Brewin'

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Disclaimer: The characters of "Early Edition" belong to…well, someone who's not me. ; Everything else not pertaining to a real place is mine. There are a few in-jokes and kudos to you if you can figure them out. So far, this story is thirteen chapters, but I'm only posting the first three because I'd like a beta reader to go over it for me. If you'd like the job, please e-mail me at gigs83_killkillkillthespam_ with the words "Beta reader" or something similar in the subject heading (just take out the kill the spam line). **

_Chapter One: Trouble's A-Brewin'_

She was there, just as the reports had predicted. He squinted, trying to see something amiss with the girl, but she looked normal. She had waist-length brown hair, glasses, was of average build and height. Yes, perfectly normal.

However, she wasn't.

Dr. Walter Von Braun, a German scientist, had been following the "career" of this girl for an ongoing forty years now. Why she could seem to be in several places at one time. Why she's there one minute and gone the next. Why animals never seemed to fear her. Why she seemed to _know_ things. Why she _never seemed to age at all_.

He was firmly convinced that this person was not human, and, as head of the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth, it was his duty to investigate. Even at sixty, he enjoyed getting out and doing a little what he liked to call "field work". The fresh air did him some good, he thought.

Von Braun began writing in a notepad he always kept with him. He used to dictate his notes into a recorder, however, it was then that he found out she had extra sensitive hearing. She'd heard him speaking and fled the scene. That was almost forty years ago.

His fascination began in the early sixties when he was at school in England. He'd noticed her skulking around a junkyard on Totters Lane, and also hanging around the Coal Hill School. Almost ten years later, he spotted her working with a military operation. While vacationing in Amsterdam in the eighties, he found her there as well. Back in England in the nineties, she was there.

At first, he thought she just liked to visit Europe a lot, or else lived there and liked to visit other places. Then, it got odd. After founding the Institute and branching it out into many different states, his colleagues and fellow scientists that worked at the different offices reported that, while Von Braun himself knew for a fact she was there in London, she was spotted elsewhere; in fact, it was _several_ elsewheres. There was evidence of her being seen in both Malibu and Los Angeles. Now, she was in Chicago.

He was utterly obsessed with this girl, and he was determined to study her more closely. He was going to capture her. In his jacket pocket, he had a powerful tranquilizer dart and he fully intended to use it _tonight_.

Von Braun finished his notes and continued to watch her over the top of his book. Around the place, he had undercover scientists also keeping tabs. If she suspected anything, she'd not made any indication.

They were on West Illinois Street in front of a bar called McGinty's. The sun was starting to set and they'd been at this since they first got word she was in the city. His coworkers were getting tired, but his obsession stifled any need for sleep Von Braun had.

The girl looked at the McGinty's sign, then went inside. Von Braun followed, determined not to let her out of his sight.

_End chapter one._


	2. Ever Get the Feeling You're Being Watche...

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: "Early Edition" and its characters/etc. aren't mine. The character of Lisa is, however.**

_Chapter Two: Ever Get the Feeling You're Being Watched?_

Her name is Lisa, and, by all accounts, she is an alien. What else could you call someone who wasn't born on Earth? She is from a planet called Alnilam, which orbits the star of the same name. It's very easy to locate: just look into the sky and find the constellation Orion. It's the middle star in the belt.

Anyone who saw her walking on the street would think she was a perfectly ordinary human woman. She looked to be in her early twenties with waist-length brown hair, brown eyes behind thin, gold oval-framed glasses, and a silver charm – an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life – dangling on a chain around her neck. She was an average height of five-foot-three and of average build. One wouldn't call her beautiful, but she wasn't unattractive, either.

Once you got to know her, and if she trusted you, she'd let you see her wings and tell you about her powers.

It was a mild summer evening in June and Lisa was in Chicago walking along West Illinois Street. Her wings were partially invisible, which meant that only a select few – currently, only animals, for they are pure of heart and see only the truth – could actually see them.

Lisa was vaguely uneasy, as she had the oddest feeling as if she were being watched. As she passed McGinty's Bar and the smell of food wafted to her nostrils, she shook it off as her stomach growled and she decided that, maybe, dinner was a good thing. She went inside and sat down. She did not notice the man enter behind her.

"Welcome to McGinty's," a pretty young waitress said, handing Lisa a menu. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Just a coke, please."

"All right," said the waitress, jotting it down on her pad. "I'll be back in a sec. to take your order."

Lisa nodded and smiled, then returned to the menu. While she was deciding on what to get, she heard a faint, whispered conversation coming from the bar office. Unsure why her enhanced hearing was focusing on it, yet unable to just ignore it, she listened in.

"This wasn't here before," said a voice sounding like it belonged to a young man.

"What is it, Gary?" This voice belonged to a woman.

"At the Sears Tower, Marissa…a g – "

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Wincing, Lisa looked up to find her waitress standing beside her, pen poised over the pad, ready to write. She hadn't shouted; it had just seemed that way because Lisa had been focused on the voices.

"You ready to order?"

Nodding, Lisa placed her order, then handed the menu back to the waitress and waited for her food. Her eyes trained on a door by the bar and watched as an attractive young man walked out, a newspaper in his hand. Behind him followed a pretty African American woman, tapping a cane. She was obviously blind.

Lisa's mind put together the voices with the faces: the man was Gary and the woman was Marissa. She probably could have exerted the mental effort to probe their minds to find out more – such as last names – but she always felt it rude to do so without permission, no matter how curious she may be, plus it took more concentration than it was worth.

_Sears Tower_…_Sears__Tower_…_Sears__Tower_…

Of course, she had no control over what was automatically projected into her mind. Humans tended to think very loudly.

_This paper's gonna kill me someday_…

_Paper?_ Lisa thought.

Her food arrived and her mind flooded with surface thoughts from the other diners, drowning out Gary's. She couldn't single any out from the din.

Disappointed and still curious, Lisa ate her food and paid the bill. On her way out, she rammed into someone leaving at the same time, someone with his nose stuck in a newspaper, which fell from its owner's hand upon impact. She bent to pick it up, only to bump heads with him doing the same.

"Ow…I'm sorry," said a voice – a familiar voice.

Lisa looked up and found herself staring into the mud-puddle green eyes of Gary, who had one hand to his head. She cleared her throat and rubbed her own abused skull, handing him the paper with her other hand.

"No," she said, smiling despite the dull ache in her head. "It's okay. Here's your paper."

"Thanks," he said, blinking a bit. _Wow_…_those eyes_…

_Are my most distinguishing feature, some say, if you don't count the wings,_ she thought, but he didn't hear it, of course. Even though telepathy was one of her powers, she wasn't foolish enough to use it and make him aware that she wasn't quite human.

Gary took the paper from her and seemed to come out of his daze. He hid it quickly, but not before the words "Sears Tower" caught her eye. "Thanks again," he said. "See you 'round…" He hurried out the door, brushing past her.

Lisa watched him go and his earlier thoughts rang in her mind. "Sears Tower, eh?" she said to no one, not noticing the man hanging on her every word. "Well, why not?"

_End chapter two._


	3. A Towering Inferno

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: "Early Edition" and all from it isn't mine. Lisa and everything not pertaining to a real person is. **

_Chapter Three: A Towering Inferno_

Lisa looked up at the 1,450-foot building. The Sears Tower was quite intimidating, but intimidation never stopped her. She paid the admission fee and headed upward to the Skydeck. Due to the late hour, it was not crowded. There were only a few people there.

The height didn't bother her, considering she could fly. It was rather interesting how, depending on the direction she was looking, she could see a different state – Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and, of course, Illinois. She stood at the edge and waved to Wisconsin, as she knew someone who spent his time there.

The sun was setting and the view was spectacular. Granted, she got the same view while flying, but seeing it from a flat surface was completely different.

So immersed as she was in enjoying the view, she didn't notice the guy sneaking up behind her. She didn't notice him pull out a small dart gun and dart. She didn't notice him aim it right at her.

She _did_ notice, however, when the dart shot from the gun into her neck. Lisa yelped in surprise more than pain and yanked the thing out. She whirled around to see a tall, slender man with white hair wearing jeans and a t-shirt and a maniacal grin on his face.

Lisa's mouth dropped in shock. She never thought in a million years that someone could do something like this to her – arrogance had always been her downfall, and, now, it could mean life or…well, as she couldn't die, something far worse than death.

Whatever was in the dart was already flowing through her system, and it was making her senses go fuzzy. Her mind swam and she found herself becoming severely disoriented. Desperate to escape and forgetting any other powers she had, her wings became visible and she flapped frantically. However, she couldn't concentrate properly and she collapsed in a tangle of limbs.

"I knew it!" the guy who had shot her shouted triumphantly in a German accent. "You're _not_ human! Okay, grab her!"

She felt herself being grabbed by the arms.

"No!" Lisa cried, struggling weakly, only vaguely aware of what was going on. Through her dimming vision, she looked around for someone to help.

But there was no one. Everyone had been assisting the German.

"Help…" she squeaked in a small voice.

"Let her go!"

Lisa blinked, her vision blurred. She couldn't clearly see who was speaking. She couldn't focus at all.

"No!" the German said, though his voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. "I've waited forty years for this moment and no one, _no one_ is going to take it away from me! Take her away!"

Her mind nearly completely shut down, she could do nothing but let them drag her away. She was barely aware of a struggle, then she blacked out.

_End chapter three._


	4. The Obsessed

**I'm only posting the next three chapters because I seem to have a fan. ^^ Beta-reader still needed!!**

_Chapter Four: The Obsessed_

"She's coming to."

"Look at this! She has two hearts!"

"Sir? She's coming 'round."

"Hm? Oh, good. Go get the serum."

"It's…not ready yet, Dr. Von Braun."

Lisa awoke to dim voices and heard footsteps approach her. She tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt as if they had lead weights attached to them. Trying to move, she found she couldn't. Her wrists and ankles had been restrained and her wings were positioned uncomfortably under her. Furthermore, she still couldn't focus right, so her powers were useless.

"Very well," said a German-accented voice. "So long as we keep her disoriented, she won't be able to use any other powers she might have."

Finally, she wrenched her eyes open. Unfortunately, someone had removed her glasses, resulting in her vision being blurred. She could only see a fuzzy gray-and-white blob standing near her.

"Lemme go…" she slurred.

The German voice chuckled. "No, no, my dear. Forty years I've wanted you in my grasp. Ever since I saw you in England…"

"Wha'?" Lisa's mind was barely latching onto anything this man was saying.

"Oh, don't bother trying to comprehend. The tranquilizer I fashioned for you inhibits the neural functions. So will the serum, but the serum is stronger." The face of the blur turned to look at something Lisa couldn't see. "Or will be, _once_ it's finished."

Someone cleared their throat nervously. "I'll go check on it, Doctor…"

Weakly, she struggled against her bonds. "Fuu…_how_? Who're you?"

"I am Dr. Walter Von Braun, head of this facility: the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth. Believe it or not, my dear, it was _you_ who fueled my desire to create this corporation. If you hadn't been popping in and out of Europe…always showing up…_never aging_…" Von Braun fiddled with something in his hands. "You are a remarkable creature." He ran a hand down one of her wings and a chill spread from the touch through her body. "Are you an angel, my dear?"

_This_ her mind let her comprehend, and she answered vehemently, "No!"

Von Braun nodded. "No, of course not. I wouldn't think angels had two hearts. Very well…you asked, 'how'. Well, it's very simple with the resources we have. While, in the past, I didn't have the technology to make anything of the samples I had…now, I do."

"Samples?" Her mind was clearing, but not by much. She still couldn't focus enough to use any powers.

"Mmm," he said, still fingering whatever he was holding. "I've been following you for a while. You've left some things behind in your travels. Bits of hair…skin samples… remember when you cut yourself on the scrap metal in the junkyard in Totters Lane?"

She didn't, but she knew where he was talking about.

"You left some blood behind. Unfortunately, all I could do was hang onto it. Technology just had to reach the right point. Such as today. I analyzed that blood…did you know that there is a little – _very_ little – human DNA within it?"

She did, in fact, know she was partially human.

"Using your blood," he continued, "I've perfected a serum that will keep you from using any other powers you may have, and yet make you cooperative." He chuckled evilly. "As for these…" His hands went up. "Do they give you any special powers, my dear? The prescription seems rather strong."

It hit her then. He was holding her glasses.

Lisa squeezed her eyes shut, not believing what was happening. "Help…" she squeaked, tears falling from the corners of her eyes. _Help,_ she cried in her mind.

"I'm afraid no one can help you now."

_End chapter four._


	5. Connection

**Telepathy is fun. ^^**

_Chapter Five: Connection_

_Help_…

Gary Hobson heard the voice in his head again as he looked up at the Institute building, wondering just how he was going to get in. The paper said that the girl inside was going to become, essentially, a lab rat. He _had_ to get her out of there.

He spotted a service entrance to the building where deliveries were made. He went over, hoping against all hope that it wasn't locked.

It was.

Frustrated, he slammed his hand against the door and heard it click open.

_Help_…

Either he was going crazy, someone up there was on his side, or the girl really wasn't human.

Gary ran inside, then checked the paper again, muttering to himself as he read.  
" '…located on the third floor of the building…' Third floor…" As fast as he could, he searched for an elevator or flight of stairs.

Finding the latter, he quickly climbed up, his heart racing.

_HELP!_

The force of the voice was so strong, it nearly knocked Gary down the stairs. Regaining his composure, he kept climbing.

When he reached the third floor, he glanced around to make sure no one was there, then began to search. Halfway through, he saw a pair of guys in scientist garb coming his way, so he ducked into a nearby room. As luck would have it, it was a closet with spare lab coats.

He quickly shucked his leather jacket and traded it for a lab coat, rolling up the paper and sticking it in his back jeans pocket. While inside, he overheard voices outside talking.

"Don't you think Dr. Von Braun is kind of crazy? I mean, come on. Aliens?"

"He keeps saying he's got one right now. Some girl with wings. Pete saw them. He says they're real."

_That must be the girl I'm here to save,_ Gary thought.

_HELP!_

It took all of Gary's willpower not to make any indication that he was inside the closet. He wondered if the two outside could hear the voice in their heads as well, but they didn't seem to. They weren't being knocked over by its sheer power.

Why was he, then?

"What's gonna go on with her?"

"Damned if I know. The Doc's obsessed with this girl, so I heard. She's probably gonna become a not-so-human lab rat. Guy's already using that new drug he made on her. Pete's gonna get the stronger version from the guys down the hall and bring it over to the lab."

They walked away and Gary took off again. Maybe he could grab the drug they were talking about, take this Pete's place…but, then what? Well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

He came upon a door where a young man with sandy colored hair was exiting, holding a vial of liquid the color of rusty water. The guy's ID badge made it known that he was Pete.

_Help_…

Was it Gary's imagination, or was the voice getting weaker? Thinking quickly, he approached him. "Uh, Pete?"

Pete looked up and looked at Gary, slightly confused. "Yeah? Uh…" He was evidently searching for an ID badge. "Dude, where's your badge?"

"I…uh, I lost it. Listen, Pete, the, uh…the Doctor told me to tell you he wanted you to… uh…" Gary thought frantically for a good cover-up. "Tell the guys that made that stuff to make some more and I'll bring that one to the…the lab." Okay, it wasn't that good, but he hoped it'd still work.

Pete looked at him suspiciously and fingered the vial in his hand. "Well…are you _sure_ Dr. Von Braun wants another serum made? I thought he wanted to make sure the first one worked."

_Help_…

"Positive, yeah," said Gary. "So, gimme that one…I'll take it to him."

Mulling it over for another moment, Pete placed the vial into Gary's outstretched hand. He walked off as quickly as possible without looking suspicious and searched for the lab.

_End chapter five._


	6. A Knight in Shining Blue Jeans

**I think I wrote most of these when I was stuck at work because of a snow storm. Oh, yeah. Usual disclaimers apply and this is Mary Sue and stuff like that.**

_Chapter Six: A Knight in Shining_…_Blue Jeans?_

Lisa drifted between complete attentiveness and total disorientation. The guy hadn't even given her back her glasses. He was analyzing the "prescription". Those glasses gave her the enhanced vision.

_Help_…

She kept projecting it over and over, but her mental strength was giving out. Whatever he was giving her was making it harder and harder to concentrate, and, yet, it _did_ seem to be wearing off, but not fast enough.

Suddenly, she heard a door open and Von Braun's voice, sounding extremely angry. "You!"

"Let her go!"

The voice clicked in Lisa's dim memory. "Gary?" Her voice was thick and scratchy; she was sure neither one of them could hear her.

"Let her go or I'll smash it!"

Lisa lifted her head and squinted, trying to see. All she could make out was a human-sized blur with one arm in the air, and with her arms and legs bound, she couldn't even sit up to get a better look.

Groaning in frustration, she let her head fall back, it banging painfully onto the thing she was laying on. Maybe the stuff was wearing off faster, as she was coherent enough to start to become extremely annoyed. Yet, she still couldn't focus enough to use her powers.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" said Von Braun.

"Her rescuer."

The German laughed. "Security is on its way, son. Now, hand me that vial and I may consider letting you go."

"No," Gary insisted. "I'll smash it, I swear. Let her go."

Von Braun fell silent, apparently weighing the options in his mind. Lisa could hear snippets of thoughts being projected through her confusion.

"Well, why not? She's drugged enough to not be able to escape."

Lisa saw Von Braun's blur move to her and began working at her bonds. "Glasses…" she said. "I want my glasses."

"Yes," he said, drawing out the word like a snake. "Of course." He untied both her wrists before stepping away.

"Hey, I said let her go!" Gary said.

"And the lady wants her glasses. Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Ladies first'?"

There was a sudden sound of bodies bursting through a door. Lisa sat up, but too quickly and a wave of dizziness lanced through her skull. She slammed a fist into the table under her, aggravated with the weakness brought on by Von Braun and his drugs. Fighting through it, she worked at the bonds at her ankles while she heard struggling and shouting.

"Get the boy out of here so I can continue my work." Evidently, he'd gotten a hold of the vial, because the next thing Lisa knew, Von Braun was coming at her with a syringe.

"No!" Gary shouted at the same time as Lisa.

She launched herself off the table, but one ankle was still tied and she fell to the ground, positive that ankle was twisted. "Damn!" she yelled.

Next thing she knew, Gary had somehow – because she still couldn't see – maneuvered himself away from the security guards and tackled Von Braun. She heard Gary cry out, but was unsure of what brought it on.

As she quickly undid the one restraint that held her down, her head finally cleared enough for her to use a power or two; her hand shot out, her glasses flew into it and she put them on.

"Much better," she quipped.

Now that she was able to see, she didn't pause to take in her surroundings. A lab was a lab, and the security guards coming after them looked rather trigger-happy. Quickly, she sent a blast of telekinesis and knocked them to the floor, dazed for a few moments. Glancing around, she saw Von Braun unconscious, and Gary stagger upright with something in his hand. The syringe…and it was empty.

He backed away and threw it down; Lisa could see a tiny rivulet of blood fall from the palm of his hand. Before she could do anything, he'd tripped over Von Braun's unconscious body and fell backward, his head thumping audibly on the hard floor.

Noting that the guards were starting to collect themselves, Lisa limped to Gary's side and took him up into her arms. Shutting her eyes, she concentrated with all the willpower she could gather, and they both disappeared in a flash of light.

_End chapter six._


	7. Those Who Fight and Run Away

**I have fans, so I'm uploading the rest. ^^ This is Mary Sue and so on and so forth.**

_Chapter Seven: Those Who Fight and Run Away_…

They reappeared in the loft above McGinty's Bar. It took a minute for Lisa to focus, as the tranquilizer was still flowing through her blood and making her concentration waver, but it was wearing off quickly.

There was a growing bruise on Gary's head from the blow he took, so she settled him on the bed and found the bathroom. Soaking a washcloth in cold water, she returned to the unconscious form on the bed and applied the compress to the bruise. He groaned faintly at the touch, but did not wake. Her ankle was throbbing and was probably swollen as well, but she was far more concerned with Gary's well-being than her own.

"Meow!"

Lisa jumped, startled, as an orange tabby cat leaped onto the bed beside Gary. She fixed it with an icy glare. "Where'd you come from?"

The cat regarded her with that "I'm-so-superior" look all cats seem to have. While people were always suspicious of her origins when they could see her wings like he could, animals seemed to just accept it; probably because they viewed the world differently than humans.

**_"The floor,"_** the cat replied haughtily.

She grunted. "Why is it that all cats seem to have a holier-than-thou attitude? Don't answer that."

The cat tilted his head to one side, then glanced at Gary. **_"What happened to him?"_**

Lisa sighed and held her hand over the cold compress. "He got hurt trying to save me. And got himself accidentally injected with a serum made for me."

**_"He still have the paper on him?"_**

"Huh?" She then noticed a corner of a newspaper peeking out from underneath Gary's body. Gently, she eased it out and held it so the cat could see. "Yeah, he still has it." Without looking at it, she tossed it on the edge of the bed out of the way.

**_"You're as dense as he is,"_** said the cat, lounging on the paper.

"Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, I have other things to worry about than today's news."

**_"Not today's."_**

"What?"

The cat simply stood to the side, indicating that she should actually look at the newspaper. Getting increasingly aggravated, she leaned over and picked it up. The headline of the front page was the first thing she noticed. Mostly, because it was about _her_.

**                         INSTITUTE ESCAPEES APPREHENDED AT LOCAL BAR**

            Gary Hobson, 39, and an unidentified female alien life form, both of whom had  
            previously escaped from the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth,  
            were recaptured at McGinty's Bar on West Illinois Street last evening at 10:04PM.

            Head of the Institute, Dr. Walter Von Braun, says, "Now that we have proof aliens  
            exist, I will use every resource found in my corporation to study her thoroughly.  
            She will not escape again."

            Von Braun offered no comment on the subject of Hobson.

She stopped reading and her eyes roved to the top of the page; she murmured under her breath, "Hey, this date…this is _tomorrow's_ newspaper. Great Orion…" She looked at the cat.

**_"That's right,"_** he said. **_"My human gets tomorrow's newspaper today, and he's out there saving people's lives."_** He blinked slowly. **_"And you're both in trouble if you don't get out of here."_**

Lisa glanced at the clock – 9:59PM. Her ears couldn't pick up anything suspicious, but she could sense they were in very real danger. "Five minutes…they're coming. I know it." She looked at the cat. "What am I supposed to do? They're looking for _me_, and Gary just gets caught…got caught…_will get_ caught in the crossfire. It's because of me that drug is swimming in his bloodstream right now."

**_"Feeling a little guilty?"_**

"More like a lot," she said as the clock ticked another minute closer to doom.

**_"I'd disappear for a while, if I were you."_**

It was now or never. Lisa put the paper in her lap and took Gary's hand. "Get ready for the shock of your life, pal…" she said softly, then glared at the cat. "That paper better not bug us while we're gone, otherwise, heads _will_ roll."

The feline merely yawned.

Lisa shut her eyes and teleported, with Gary, out.

_End chapter seven._


	8. Alnilam

**You've made it eight chapters, so you know it's Mary Sue by now. From here is where the fantasy comes in.**

_Chapter Eight: Alnilam_

Had it not been for the throbbing pain in his head, Gary could have slept for hours. Unfortunately, the pounding was so intense, he awoke moaning in agony.

"Oh, God," he whimpered, putting a hand to his aching head. He felt a cold cloth there.

A familiar girl's voice spoke softly. "Gary? Good, you're awake. Here, drink this. It'll help with the pain."

He felt his head – protesting the movement all the way – being tilted upward and a cool liquid touched his lips. His already closed eyes squeezed tighter as he tried to hold back a cry.

A hand stroked his hair. "Trust me," said the voice.

Grunting with pain, Gary allowed the liquid to be dripped down his throat. Surprisingly, it tasted like berries. Even more surprising was that the girl was right. The pain diminished to more of a dull ache, and Gary was finally able to open his eyes.

His vision was blurry, at first, but it cleared a little every time he blinked. He was in an unfamiliar bedroom. The color scheme of the room was a subtle sea green. He was lying in a very comfortable bed and there were windows covered by thick curtains that were successfully keeping out bright shafts of moonlight. There was a door on the opposite side of the room, a nightstand at each side of the bed, another door on the wall across from the bed, and what looked like another room in one corner.

And, sitting at his side, was the very girl he'd been trying to rescue from the beginning. It them hit him that she was the girl that had run into him at McGinty's.

"You…you're…"

"Lisa. My name is Lisa. Yeah, I'm the one you were attempting to rescue from the Institute. Thanks for that, by the way. I…didn't think anyone could hear my thoughts."

He just studied her for a moment, finally able to get a good look now that there were no security guards or mad scientists. Wait a minute…

"What happened?" he asked. "Last thing I remember is…being in the lab getting the syringe away from that doctor." Gary blinked. "I think…" He looked at his hands and saw a tiny wound in one.

"You accidentally injected yourself with the drug when you got the syringe away from Von Braun. I'm kind of surprised that it didn't affect you in some way. Unless it's slow-acting…it _was_ made for me. Could work differently on humans…" She shook her head. "Just thinking aloud. Sorry. The Healer's coming, anyway, just to check on us. He's a little delayed."

Gary merely grunted. "Uh, are _you_ okay? They drugged you, too, didn't they?"

She nodded. "It wore off, thankfully. Can't say the same for my ankle, though. Twisted it trying to escape, but that's not important."

"Oh. Uh, where are we?"

"My house."

"Why?"

Lisa bit her lip, then reached out of his line of vision and picked up…

"The paper…" Gary whispered. "Did you…read it?"

She nodded. "It said we were going to be captured. Your cat kind of advised me to make us disappear for a while. So, I brought you here, and the article is gone." She must have noticed the look of concern on his face, because she set the paper down, then said, "Hey, don't worry. If you keep my secret, I'll definitely keep yours."

"Yeah…okay. I will." He blinked. "The cat did what?"

Chuckling, Lisa explained. "I have the ability to communicate with animals. We had a little chat while you were unconscious."

"How long was I out?" Gary looked around for a clock and found one on the nightstand. It read 3:04AM.

"Five hours, give or take. You hit the ground really hard when you tripped."

No wonder his head ached. Even though the stuff she'd given him was working well, but it seemed to be wearing off, as the pain was slowly coming back. Black spots had started dancing in front of his eyes and his concentration was beginning to break.

"Gary?" Lisa voice faded in and out. "Gary, are you okay?"

He couldn't answer her. He slipped into the blessed oblivion of unconsciousness.

_End chapter eight._


	9. Medicus

**Yay for our medic.**** ^^**

_Chapter Nine: Medicus_

Lisa had been staring out one of the windows for the past fifteen minutes, now, ever since Gary had lost consciousness. She was waiting for the Healer of the planet to come, and he was taking longer than she thought necessary. She wanted to pace, but her ankle, though wrapped to stop any more swelling, was still tender and she couldn't walk on it without making herself extremely uncomfortable.

The Healer was a unicorn stallion called Medicus, and he knew everything and anything about making cures for whatever ails you out of all-natural ingredients. In addition, all of his ingested remedies tasted wonderful. He'd made the pain medication she'd given Gary.

At last, the sound of galloping hooves and creaking wheels reached her ears. Looking out the window, she saw a white unicorn stallion with red forelock and beard was approaching the house, pulling his cart full of medications behind him.

Lisa removed Gary's cold compress, then pressed a pedal near the floor of the wall with the windows. Apparatuses resembling metal restraints slid from places in the wall to hold back the curtains as the wall slid upward and into a recess in the ceiling, allowing the unicorn access to the room.

Leaving his cart outside, Medicus entered. He nodded to Lisa as a greeting, then walked to his patient. He touched his horn to Gary's forehead, throat, and heart, then frowned. **_"There's a toxin in his bloodstream,"_** he said, speaking in the basic unicorn language of the planet.

"I know," Lisa replied. "It's some kind of serum a mad scientist made…for me with samples of my DNA or whatever."

Medicus looked up, alarmed. Lisa, however, shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's my problem and I'll handle it. Just…help Gary, will you, please?" She replaced the cold compress, which was more lukewarm now.

**_"Of course I will. You know I will. Tell me what happened."_**

Lisa took a deep breath and recounted what had transpired that night in Chicago. Medicus listened patiently.

**_"All right._****_ I'll need a blood sample,"_** he said when she was done. **_"Could you hold his arm steady?"_**

She nodded and placed her hands on either side of the bend in Gary's arm. Medicus laid his hollow horn above a vein and the tip became long and thin like a needle. As gently as he could, he inserted it and Lisa watched as Gary's blood was drawn inside.

The stallion turned away when he was done and went to his cart outside. On Gary's arm, the only evidence of what happened was a tiny, circular scar.

After depositing the blood into a vial, Medicus walked back in, his horn having returned to normal. **_"I won't lie to you, Lisa,"_** he said softly. **_"The toxin is reacting badly to his system. You said this scientist was using your DNA to make it?"_**

She nodded. "He said he had my blood and…and hair and skin."

**_"So it was custom-made just for you and not meant to be used on humans. He has a very high fever and his loss of consciousness is also an effect of the toxin. There could also be other symptoms. Dizziness and the like."_**

"What about the bruise?"

**_"What you're doing will work well in reducing it. This toxin will make him extremely sick, and that's what we have to be concerned with."_**

Medicus gave her a fever remedy stronger than the one she had on hand and instructions to check his temperature every few hours and to give him some every time it got high. He also gave her a stronger pain remedy just in case.

**_"Now, about that ankle…"_**

In truth, Lisa had almost forgotten about it, but the stallion's mention of her injury brought the memory back in the form of a droning pain. She winced. "Ow…right."

Holding out her leg for Medicus, she unwrapped her ankle and waited while he examined it.

**_"It's a mild sprain,"_** he said, and a bandage much like the one she had had on levitated through the opening in the wall and wrapped itself around Lisa's ankle. **_"This is like the one you had, but it works much better and faster. You'll still be limping in the morning and maybe the day after, but it won't hurt as much to put pressure on it."_**

"Thanks." She set her foot down. "So, what about Gary?"

**_"All I can advise right now is to keep the fever down as best you can. I'll be working as fast as I can on making the antitoxin. He's not bedridden, per se, but he should rest as much as he can. I can't guess the symptoms the toxin will produce, save for the fever and loss of consciousness…I'm afraid you'll just have to play it by ear, as it were."_**

Lisa glanced at Gary, then moved her eyes back to Medicus. "Will he wake up from… that?"

**_"Given time._****_ Bring the fever down…might help. I'll give him something to help, now, to start him off."_** He went to his cart and, after working a few moments, returned with his horn filled with a blue-tinged liquid, the tip once again taking on its needle-like appearance. He injected it into Gary's arm. **_"There,"_** he said, lifting his head. **_"That should do it."_**

She sighed. "Thanks."

Medicus put his nose to her cheek and blew gently. **_"I'll be as quick as I can. Contact me if he gets any worse."_**

Lisa nodded and Medicus turned and left, the wall sliding down back into place. She went, still limping as Medicus had said she would be, to the bathroom in the corner and re-soaked the cloth in cold water, then replaced it back on Gary's head.

She took his hand in hers, and waited.

_End chapter nine._


	10. Cause and Effect

**How does one call from planet to planet? Something having to do with satellites. *grin* I asked AL once, and she just smiled at me… oO;;**

_Chapter Ten: Cause and Effect_

When Gary awoke the next morning, strong sunlight was streaming through gaps in the curtains, and yet it was uncomfortably cold in the room. Shivering, he buried himself underneath the blankets with a groan. It was then he noticed someone holding his hand. He looked and saw Lisa curled up, fast asleep, on a chair beside the bed using a red jacket as a blanket.

He smiled softly and tugged at her hand. "Hey," he whispered, his throat a little dry and scratchy. "Hey, Lisa?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, then yawned and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw Gary was awake, let go of his hand, and sat up. "Hey. Welcome back to the land of the living. Lost you for a bit, there."

Gary recalled his loss of consciousness. "Yeah. Did the…um, the Healer…did he come?"

She nodded. "While you were unconscious." He listened quietly while she explained her instructions and the effects his accidental injection was causing and accepted the glass of water she offered him. At the moment, he actually felt all right…a little weak, perhaps, a slight headache, and his concentration was wavering a bit…but all right.

"So," she said, "you hungry? I'm not a very good cook…but I have cereal and stuff for breakfast."

"Yeah, I…I guess." He then noticed the clock on the nightstand, which read 9:17AM, and a slight panic rushed through him. "Hey, wait…the paper. Where's the paper?"

"Gar, I doubt your paperboy can find his way here."

He started to sit up. "Not a paperboy…the cat. He's…he's not here?"

Lisa shook her head. "Only cat here is mine."

Gary frowned. If the paper didn't come to him, maybe it went to the loft. He needed to call Marissa. "Lisa, could I use your – "

"Phone?" she asked, finishing his sentence. "Yeah, sure." She stood and took a cordless phone off its hook and brought it to him, dialing a few numbers before putting it into his hand. "Set…just dial one and the area code first."

He glanced at her for a moment before dialing. The line rang twice before Marissa answered. _"McGinty's."_

"Marissa! It's Gary!"

_"__Gary__! Where on Earth have you been? What's going on?"_

Unsure of how to break the news to his friend, he decided to ask a question instead. "Marissa, did the paper come this morning?"

_"No. Isn't it with you?"_

"Uh…"

_"Where are you, anyway?"_ she interrupted._ "What happened last night?"_

"You want me to talk to her?" Lisa asked.

Gary shook his head while Marissa asked, _"Who was that?"_

"That…was the girl I went to save last night…from the Sears Tower. Turns out…" His voice died away as he realized he really couldn't tell her the truth over the phone.

"You're probably right," said Lisa. Okay, she could tell what he was thinking. Mind reading. He could handle that. "But we can't leave. I bet anything those goons are still out for us, and…" She lowered her voice. "And you're not well."

Considering the room had started to spin, she was right. He shut his eyes. "Uh, Marissa?"

_"Yes, __Gary__?__ What's the matter?"_

He sighed. "I won't tell you not to worry, because you will, anyway. Something went wrong with the save last night and I have to hide out for a while. But I'm okay. I'm somewhere safe, and I'll call you when I can."

Marissa was silent on the other end for a beat. He knew she wanted to question his whereabouts, and he hoped she wouldn't take too long because he was becoming very dizzy. Slowly, he slid down to a horizontal position on the bed.

_"__Gary_…"

"Marissa, please…" His voice sounded desperate, and he hoped it didn't to her. He was getting really, _really_ dizzy.

_"All right,"_ she said finally. _"But please try to call me. Take care, __Gary__."_

"Bye." He hung up the phone and put his hands over his face, groaning.

"Hold still," said Lisa, and he felt something in his ear, like one of those thermometers. After a few seconds, it was removed.

"Your temperature's up."

No wonder he felt so cold. He heard movement, then Lisa said, "Here, drink this."

Opening his eyes, Gary saw her holding a small vial of purple liquid. He shut them again when she split into twins. "What is it?"

"Something that'll bring down the fever. Hopefully it'll stop your dizziness, too."

He felt the vial being pressed into his hand and downed it in one gulp, wanting to get rid of the dizziness as fast as possible. It tasted like grapes and started to work right away, as, when he opened his eyes, he was no longer seeing double. However, some of the dizziness still remained.

"Medicus _did_ say the stuff in your bloodstream could cause stuff like this. He also said we'll have to play it by ear."

Gary had a sinking feeling. Somehow, he felt things would just get worse.

_End chapter ten._


	11. Secrets Revealed and Unexpected Happenin...

**How many people didn't see _this_ coming? Heh.**

_Chapter Eleven: Secrets Revealed and Unexpected Happenings_

Keeping Gary's fever down and monitoring his other symptoms was turning into a constant, up-and-down battle. There was no pattern to the spikes in temperature or what effect it might cause. While bringing down the fever would ease the symptoms and sometimes make them vanish completely, a few times, it did not. He developed a muscular weakness so severe, he wasn't able to stand for more than a minute.

Gary was lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling, very depressed and still at a loss as to why the paper didn't come. Lisa hadn't mentioned to him that she had told the cat that heads would roll if the paper bothered them. However, keeping that and other things from him were slowly eating away at her conscious, so she decided that, maybe, she better let the proverbial cat out of the bag while he was still in the frame of mind to comprehend it all.

She'd just finished taking his temperature, and, while it was high, there was no cause for alarm or medicine yet. So, she sat on the edge of the bed and said softly, "Hey, Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to explain a little bit about where you are and…some other stuff. So you don't get a shock when something unexplainable happens."

He sat up a little so he could look at her better. "Okay."

Lisa bit her lip. "Okay, first off…I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but you're not on Earth anymore." She went to one of the windows, still limping slightly from her injury, and pulled back the curtain.

The sun was behind a cloud at the moment, so Gary could clearly see that Lisa's house was situated in the middle of a meadow of multicolored grass, ahead was a forest of multicolored trees, and above was a lavender sky full of puffy white clouds. In the distance, a white horse was grazing.

"It's called Alnilam…named after its sun." Lisa said, letting the curtain fall. "We're located orbiting around the middle star in Orion's belt. And the population consists of myself and…" She broke off and sighed. "Gary, do you believe in unicorns?"

"Well," he said after a beat, "after what I experienced today…I found that anything's possible. So, I suppose, but, without proof…"

"Oh, I can get you that." She pulled the curtain back again. "Take a closer look at that 'horse' over there."

Gary squinted and the horse looked up and took four steps forward, staring right at him. Right there, in the middle of its forehead, was a horn at least a foot long, iridescent and spiraled in red. Then, it turned on its hooves and galloped into the forest.

"Oh…" he said in a quiet whisper. "Wow…"

"That's basically everyone's reaction, yeah." She returned to Gary's side. "That was Mystic, by the way. I'll introduce you before you leave. Now, as for the paper…"

He leaned forward, anxious to hear this.

"I…told the cat that heads would roll if the thing came…"

"You did _what_?"

"Gary, you can't do anything about it, anyway. You're not on Earth, you're sick, and if your friend, Marissa, didn't get it, well, then, I'm sure the world will be able to manage without you."

He was unable to summon the strength to argue with her, so he just sighed and settled back on the bed.

**_"And I can't believe I listened to her."_**

To Gary, that was, "Meow!"

They both looked to the doorway to find the orange tabby cat sitting on the threshold. Behind him was a black and white shorthair, who spoke in a string of meows, looking directly at Lisa.

**_"The stud slipped past me while I was on the porch."_**

"Your cat, that one?" Gary asked.

"Yeah, that's Fluffy. She says your cat…got in how?"

**_"I went through the kitty door."_**

"The kitty door…okay, that's on my front door, but _how_ did you get _here_?"

The tabby trotted inside and leapt up onto the bed, the shorthair following closely. He said, **_"I figured I'd come for moral support for my human, here."_** His head tilted in Gary's direction.

"What is going on?" asked Gary.

"Something about moral support for you…okay, but that doesn't answer the question of how you got _here_ on Alnilam."

**_"Well,"_** Fluffy said, **_"you know that the Gates are easy for animals to find. And it's a kind if ingrained thing to know they lead to you…"_**

**_"Since I don't like rolling heads…as you see, the paper's not here."_**

"Well?" Gary prodded.

Lisa sighed. She _hated_ unanswered questions. "There are Gates between here and Earth…and they're easier for animals to find than people. And animals have this sort of…ability to see me as I am. They're pure of heart and see only the truth, you see. They kind of know the Gates lead to me…your cat must've found one. And he didn't bring the paper because of what I said to him."

**_"Guy deserved a day off, anyway, after doing this for eight years."_**

"Eight years?" Lisa turned to Gary. "Really? You've been getting that paper for _eight years_?"

He nodded. "He, uh…told you about that, huh?"

"At your loft. He says you deserve a break."

**_"Really shouldn't give him one,"_** Gary's cat muttered, **_"after some of the ways he treated me…"_**

Gary heard the low growl in that "sentence", so he asked, "What did he say?"

Lisa cleared her throat. "Uh…you ever badmouth that cat or…yell at him?"

He didn't answer, but the look in his eyes told Lisa loads. Instead he said, "Do you…do you think you could ask him…where the paper comes from?"

Lisa glanced at the cat. "Well?"

**_"That's for me to know and him to find out."_** He turned to Fluffy. **_"So, beautiful, you got any eats around here?"_** He hopped off the bed and walked out.

"Hey, wait!" Gary said, sitting up quickly, then falling back with an expression of pain on his face.

"Easy, Gar," said Lisa. "You can't make sudden movements like that." She lightly combed her fingers through his hair.

"Mmm," he mumbled, taking a few deep breaths. He looked up and locked eyes with her. Just for a moment, there was a flicker of something that passed between them. Fluffy saw it, as she was very perceptive of such things.

"Um, Fluff?" said Lisa in a far-off kind of voice, "Why don't you go…see what our furry guest is up to."

She smiled a cat smile. **_"Yeah, sure."_** She jumped off the bed and paused in the threshold to glance at Lisa and Gary, then ran off.

"Um," Lisa said, "are you okay?" She barely realized that she was still stroking his hair ever so gently.

Gary reached up and caught her hand. "I…uh…yeah, I think so…" He was silent for a beat, then said softly, "Did anyone ever tell you…you have the most…amazing eyes?"

She chuckled softly and smiled. Gary continued, "And your smile…"

"Gary…" A blush was forming in her cheeks.

"You're very cute when you blush." He smiled. "You're nearly as red as your jacket." Suddenly, the smile faded. "Lisa, I think I'm falling in love with you."

She knew. She could sense it from the start, and, truthfully, she was starting to fall for him as well. However, a small worry was niggling at the back of her mind.

"Gary, are you sure that's really how you feel?" she asked, trying to keep her face void of emotion. "Are you sure it's not…a kind of Reverse Florence Nightingale Effect? Instead of a nurse falling in love with her patient…vice versa?"

"I'm sure…I know it…"

Lisa shut her eyes and opened them slowly. "There's one way to find out."

She leaned in close and lightly brushed his lips with her own in a sweet kiss. She pulled away after a few seconds, but Gary pulled her closer and they shared another kiss, this one longer, and shared by both of them.

**_POP!_**

_End chapter eleven._


	12. The Link

**It was inevitable.**

_Chapter Twelve: The Link_

Gary was so caught up in the kiss that he didn't notice that anything had happened until he felt a sudden rush of emotion, as if his love for her had doubled in strength. Then, he felt as if he could hear everything, and it sounded as if his heartbeat was echoing. A dull ache was forming in his right ankle.

_Gary_…

He broke the kiss and blinked, recognizing Lisa's voice in his head, but it sounded stronger and closer than it had when she'd been calling him at the Institute.

Lisa, herself, looked surprised, but, somehow, he could _sense_ it wasn't for the same reason he was.

"Gary, why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"T-tell you what?" he replied, stuttering involuntarily.

"What you were feeling."

What he was feeling? He'd told her, hadn't he? He'd said that he was falling in love with her.

"That's not what I mean," she said.

Okay, maybe he _was_ feeling a little weaker, but he didn't see any reason to mention it. There was none, really…was there?

He asked a question before Lisa could go off, because he somehow could _feel_ she was going to explode in a burst of emotion at any moment. "Lisa," he said, "what's going on? Why…is everything amplified?"

_The link,_ her thoughts said.

"What's 'the link'?"

She mentally hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before sighing. "The link is what happens when I share the True Love's Kiss with someone who has the same feelings for me as I do for them. We become linked…the echo you're hearing is my hearts-beat."

"Howzat?" he asked. "_Hearts_-beat?"

She nodded, then took his hand and placed it on her neck where he could feel her pulse.

No…_pulses_…

"What the…"

"A double-pulse. I have two hearts. You can feel it, can't you?"

Gary could. Inside his chest, he felt as if another heart were beating beside his own, strong and steady. It was the other that felt as if it were beating irregularly, much like his own.

"Gary…" Lisa began, but broke off, wincing and shaking her head.

He felt dizzy, so he flattened himself out on the bed as best he could and shut his eyes, groaning. He then felt the ear thermometer as Lisa took his temperature again.

"It went up. Here, you better drink this."

He accepted the vial of medication, as he was used to taking it now, and drunk it down. For some reason, the stuff wasn't working as fast as it had been, and, while the dizziness diminished to the point where he could open his eyes without the room doing cartwheels, he felt steadily weaker, so he just lay in bed, half on his side and half on his back.

Lisa knelt beside him, stroking his hair. "I'm sorry, Gary," she said softly. "There's nothing I can do for you until Medicus gets back."

" 's all right," he whispered, his words slightly slurred with weakness, trying to stay awake.

She sighed. "Try and rest, Gary."

His vision was already dimming fast, so he let the darkness envelop him completely.

_End chapter twelve._


	13. The Past Coms Back to Haunt Her

**The character of Ben belongs to my fiancé. He wanted to be put in, so I did it.**

_Chapter Thirteen: The Past Comes Back to Haunt Her_

Lisa sat next to Gary, holding his hand, feeling very upset that she couldn't do anything for him. She _hated_ feeling so helpless. Sighing heavily, she adjusted the cold compress on his head and hoped Medicus would come in time.

To make matters worse, it had started to storm outside about an hour ago, which could slow down the process. Lisa also hated rain.

Suddenly, she heard frantic pounding at her front door. Curious, and a little annoyed, she stood and left the room. When she opened the door, a very tall guy wearing blue jeans and a shirt, dripping wet and stained with mud, barged in.

"What the…Ben?" she said, shocked and rather aggravated, shutting the door against the increasing wind and rain. "What are you doing here?"

Benjamin Del Ponte was an old acquaintance of Lisa's and also the "someone who spent his time" in Wisconsin. Immortal in his own right and having powers of his own, he always ended up popping in on her life when she didn't want him to. He was six-foot-six with glasses, green eyes, and short brown hair. He'd be cute if he wasn't always bugging her.

Ben countered her questions with one of his own. "Are you all right?"

Lisa blinked. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"I sensed you were in trouble and I heard your cries for help."

She limped to the couch, leaning against the back. "That…has been taken care of." She was a growing puddle of water accumulating at his feet and bits of mud from his clothes were plopping down into it. "You're dripping all over my floor, you know…and what's with all the mud? I didn't think it was _that_ bad outside."

"Uh…run in with…um, what's his name?"

"Woodhorn?"

Woodhorn was a unicorn stallion appointed to the task of guarding the Alnilam Gateways. He loathed humans and humanoids with a passion and never missed a chance to attack any he saw roaming about the forest. Unfortunately, not many visited and those who did were usually friends of Lisa's, but Woodhorn didn't care. He attacked anyway, and, luckily, they usually escaped in some way, shape, or form without getting injured too seriously. 

"Yeah," said Ben, "that's it…Why are you limping?"

She looked annoyed, her normal facial expression whenever this guy was around. "I twisted my ankle escaping from the Institute."

"What?!"

Lisa winced. "Shh!! I'm not alone, here. I got a…a friend asleep down the Hall." She could see that that little explanation wouldn't be enough for him. "Okay, fine. I was captured at the Sears Tower in Chicago by this mad scientist that's been after me since the sixties. This guy, Gary, rescued me…okay, I rescued him in the long run…and I twisted my ankle in the process. We're hiding out 'til things die down on Earth."

"Which could be forever," Ben said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

She sighed. "I left out one thing…Gary was accidentally injected with a serum made especially for me…it made him sick. Medicus is working on an antidote, so I couldn't bring him back even if I wanted to or it was safe to do so."

"So, what are you going to do about the mad scientist?"

"Von Braun?" Lisa shrugged. "Hope he'll give up…"

" 'Von Braun'?" he echoed. "I met him once; some crazy talk about a girl that never aged. I thought he was completely crazy. But, if he has gone this far, it'd mean it'll be a long while 'til he gives up."

While she wondered how he could think Von Braun was crazy when Ben knew perfectly well not aging was one of her traits, she had other, more important things on her mind. "I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it," she said, misquoting the adage on purpose. "Right now, I got a sick friend I have to worry about."

He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes," she answered. "Leave. I have things under control."

There was a shriek of a cat and two furry blurs – one orange, one black-and-white – raced from the Hall into the living room, around the couch, and back down the way they came.

"I see that," Ben said skeptically.

Lisa frowned. "That's just Fluffy chasing Gary's cat. I didn't catch why. I think he's flirting with her or something, which is kinda funny, as she's so much older than he is."

"Never stopped you."

She glared at him, fire in her eyes, the tips of her wings reddening with anger. "Get out of here," she growled venomously.

At that moment, a crack of thunder split the air and rain splattered loudly against the windows. The storm was getting worse.

"You expect me to go back out in that?" Ben asked. "I'm already soaked. Do you think I could wait out the storm?"

Another crack of thunder answered the question for her. No matter how much she disliked a person, Lisa wouldn't make them suffer needlessly. She sighed, irritated. "I guess."

"How about a shower and some dry clothes?"

She glared. Just because she offered him hospitality didn't mean she had to like it. She waved him towards the Hall. "Whatever. You know where your room is. Just don't wake Gary."

He nodded and walked away. Lisa rubbed her face with her hands and let out a soft groan. Could the situation get any worse?

_End chapter thirteen._


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

**Showers are nice. Heh.**

_Chapter Fourteen: The Calm Before the Storm_

When Gary next awoke, the first thing he noticed was the dull ache in all his muscles. He suspected the cause was either his illness or just from constantly lying in bed…or, even, both. The second thing was the sound of rain tapping against the windows and distant thunder in the air.

He opened his eyes and took note that the room was dark. The green glow of the clock on the end table told him it was just nearing one in the morning. He also realized that someone was holding him. It took him half a second to realize it was Lisa. Her sense through the link was coming through very strong.

Gary actually felt a little better, save for the muscle aches, but the dizziness had eased a little, and was unable to go back to sleep, for he'd been doing it for so long. To pass the time, he mulled over this link Lisa had told him about. He heard her voice echoing in his head:

_"The link is what happens when I share the True Love's Kiss with someone who has the same feelings for me as I do for them. We become linked_…_"_

He found that the amplified senses seemed to have diminished slightly. While they were still very sensitive, it was as if someone had turned down the volume, so to speak. He could feel the second, steady _thump-thump_ in his chest – Lisa's second heart – and he could hear it as well, as his head was resting in the crook of her arm. He didn't know why, but it was reassuring to feel such a strong sensation so close by. It made him feel safe and…not so alone.

Yes, not alone. He thought of his previous romances, and of Marcia, Emma, and Erica. None of the girls he ever dated made him feel the way Lisa made him feel. Maybe it was the sense of actually being connected in such a way to her…

Maybe it was the feeling that he could actually _keep_ this one…Erica couldn't seem to handle his responsibility to the paper. Lisa…maybe Lisa could help with his saves…provided, of course, that the situation dies down enough for them to return to Chicago; provided also that he recovers.

He sighed, finding himself feeling very safe in her arms. He also felt an urge that needed alleviating. He needed to use the bathroom. Lisa had mentioned during one of his brief periods of consciousness that there was one in his room in the corner; the question was would his legs hold him?

Deciding to test it, he gently slid Lisa's arms from around him and slowly removed the covers. He was still in the jeans and t-shirt he'd been wearing before the whole mess started, but someone – probably Lisa – had removed his shoes. His leather jacket was probably still in the Institute coat room.

Very slowly, Gary sat up. There was a little pain in his head, but at least the room wasn't doing anymore cartwheels. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and cautiously put his feet down on the floor. Even more slowly, he pushed himself off the bed and leaned on the end table for support. His legs were shaky, but he was almost sure he could make it to the bathroom.

Using the wall and anything he could get his hands on, he staggered across the room and inside. Feeling around for a light switch, he gratefully found out it was a dimmer switch and raised it so it was enough to see but not enough to hurt his eyes.

He quickly resolved his little problem and washed his hands, catching his reflection in the mirror. He looked, quite simply, like hell. There were dark circles under his eyes and whiskers had begun to grow on his face. His hair was in complete disarray and his clothes were wrinkled.

Eyeing the shower, he saw a small seat situated in the corner and the bars that the handicapped use to aid in climbing into the tub. On the sink was an electric razor, hairbrush, toothbrush and paper cups, and in the shower was soap, shampoo, and conditioner, and there were clean towels on a towel rack. He also found pajamas hanging on the hook on the door. Lisa had thought of everything…perhaps she's experienced things like this before?

Feeling grubby from nearly two days in bed, a nice, hot shower was very appealing. Hoping the sound of the water wouldn't wake Lisa, he turned on the faucets and undressed, then got inside and sat on the seat, not trusting his legs to hold him.

Gary probably spent an hour under the refreshing water. He felt so much better being clean. Maybe his fever had broken. He gingerly got out of the shower, thankful his legs were still cooperating, and put on the pajamas, shaved and brushed his teeth. Consulting the mirror for its opinion, he found himself still looking drained and weak, yet at least he was clean.

There was a soft knock at the door. Lisa's voice filtered through. "Gary? You in there?"

"Yes," he said, his voice cracking. His throat was very dry, so he took a sip of water from the sink. He opened the door and found Lisa standing there, looking rather worse for wear herself.

She smiled gently. "Eh, the tiredness is me…everything else is you. That's what happens with the link."

Now that she mentioned it, he _could_ feel how tired she was, probably from running herself ragged taking care of him. He leaned against the wall for support. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

She blinked. "For what? For something you have no control over? At least, not really." She smiled again. "Don't be, because I'm not. If being linked wasn't something I didn't want to happen, it wouldn't." She put a hand to his forehead. "Hmm…that shower did you some good. Your fever's down. Are you hungry? You want breakfast?"

Gary raised his eyebrows. "At two in the morning?"

Lisa shrugged. "No time like the present. I can give you the grand tour of the house, too."

He relented and allowed her to lead him out of his room.

"This is what I call the Hall O'Rooms," said Lisa, indicating the hallway full of doors they were now in. The other doors, save one, were open and moonlight was shining into the hallway. Each door had letters and/or numbers carved into the doorknobs. "That's my room," she said as they passed a room with red carpet and wallpaper.

"It's…very red," commented Gary.

She giggled. "Red's my favorite color, along with white and green. In that order."

Lisa led him out of the Hall. To their left was a kitchen and to their right was a living room. In the corner, there was another, smaller, room.

"That's, actually, the stairs." Lisa said, pointing to that smaller room. "Upstairs to my library and game room and downstairs to storage and laundry." She helped him into the kitchen, turned on the lights, and he sat at the table. He noted that the television was easily visible from this point.

"I like to watch TV when I eat," she explained, rummaging through the cabinets. "Usually. Now, let's see what I can get you…don't want to shock your stomach. Tea and toast?"

"Sounds good."

She put four pieces of bread in the toaster and pressed the button down, then heated up water in a tea kettle.

"Milk?" she asked.

He felt his stomach do a little flip-flop and didn't want to push it. Apparently, his illness had made it sensitive.

"Guess not," Lisa said, smiling a little. She plopped two ice cubes into the mug once the water was hot. "Here you go." She also handed him a plate of toast.

Gary's stomach flipped again at the thought of buttering it. Wincing, he took one slice and bit it, chewing slowly.

She nodded sympathetically and reached to pat his hand. "I know, it's rough. And we aren't even sure how far this toxin in your bloodstream is going to go. I mean, it wore off for me…you…" She sighed. "The stuff you got injected with was especially made for me, Gary. That guy, Von Braun, has been after me since the sixties."

Gary blinked.

"I'm immortal, Gary," she said quietly. "I've lived for over a millennia. I _never_ thought something like this could happen. Arrogance has always been one of my weaknesses." Lisa's eyes dropped to the table. "The stuff was never made to be used on humans, so he and Medicus say. It has bits of my DNA in it, which is why it's hitting you in this way. I'm just glad it at least gives you these periods of coherence."

He looked at their entwined hands and smiled. "Me, too."

_End chapter fourteen._


	15. Heart of the Matter

**Wow, I finally got chapter 15 out. Mostly cuz I have an IRL fan, now. Hi, Darrin! So I figured I'd get out a new chapter before I saw him again this weekend. Heh. Enjoy!**

_Chapter Fifteen: Heart of the Matter_

Gary didn't want to walk back to his room after he'd eaten, so he and Lisa lounged on the couch for a while. Eating had made him feel a bit better, though not by much. He was a little more tired now, yet he still couldn't fall back to sleep because he'd been doing it for so long.

If Lisa had wanted to tell Gary about Ben being there, she didn't have the chance to before her tall visitor had exited from the Hall, sleep-tousled and bleary-eyed. Gary did a double take when he noticed the stranger emerge and walk into the kitchen. Through the link, he felt a twinge of aggravation bubble up from within Lisa.

"Why are you up?" she wanted to know. "We didn't make that much noise."

"I was thirsty. Is that a crime, now?"

Lisa's grip on Gary's hand tightened. She was annoyed, yet Gary didn't understand why. As gently as he could, he prodded, "Lisa…?"

She shook her head quickly, as if trying to dispose of any of the foul things he felt were on the tip of her tongue, and looked at him. Her expression softened a little, and she said with an irritated sigh, "Gary, meet Ben. Ben, Gary."

"Nice to meet you," said Ben, extending his hand over the back of the couch.

"Likewise," Gary responded, shaking the taller guy's hand. A question was on his mind, but he could find no way to phrase it.

"He sensed I was in trouble," Lisa said, evidently reading his mind and saving him the trouble. "Took him long enough," she added with a pointed glare. Ben simply ignored it and headed for a cabinet for a glass. "Ben's an old pain in my…er, acquaintance of mine… immortal like me with powers of his own."

Gary didn't need the link to know what she wanted to say, and a corner of his mouth twitched in a brief half-smile. He asked Ben, "Are you from Alnilam, too?"

Ben shook his head, sipping the water he'd poured himself. "No, but I have the means to come here when the need arises. Unfortunately, I was unable to prevent Lisa from being captured." Gary noted the tone of his voice…disappointment combined with something else he couldn't identify yet. "I was caught in the storm, and I'm just waiting for it to pass before I leave." Thunder sounded in the distance. "Could be a while, though."

"You're leaving as soon as it passes," Lisa insisted. "I have enough problems to worry about."

Ben put the empty glass in the sink and came over, leaning against the back of the couch. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked Gary. "Lisa told me you were sick."

"A little, thanks."

The petty small talk was getting on Lisa's nerves. Gary couldn't help but notice just how much her personality changed with the sudden appearance of this guy. Every fiber of her being seeped utter annoyance and anger. She clearly didn't want Ben there and seemingly wasn't shy about telling him so, though she held her tongue in that respect. She wouldn't make anyone head back out into that storm, even if it seemed to have tapered off a bit.

"Speaking of problems," said Ben, "what _are_ you going to do about Von Braun?"

In truth, Lisa hadn't thought of it. She'd been too worried about Gary's condition to really consider the options. She knew one thing for certain, however: she didn't want to do any real permanent damage, even with everything they'd done to her. Two wrongs don't make a left turn, right?

"What I'd _really_ like to do," she said, standing and pacing the length of the living room with her arms tightly folded, "is give him a taste of his own medicine." She glanced at Gary. "Inject _him_ with his own drugs and let him live through what you're going through."

"Problem with that is getting our hands on it." Ben pointed out.

Lisa blinked and her head turning so fast Gary felt he'd gotten whiplash. " 'Our hands'," she echoed. "What's this, '_our_ hands'? I told you, I want you out of here when the storm stops."

"I can help," he insisted.

"I neither want nor need your help," Lisa spat, moving to stand in front of Ben so she could glare at him properly – or as properly as a 5-foot-3 woman could do facing a 6-foot-6 guy. Gary had to sit up to watch the exchange, wanting to interrupt but not sure how. "I have everything under control." She, unfortunately, stepped the wrong way on her injured foot and had to catch herself on the edge of the couch. Her ankle was healing, but not fast enough for her liking, and this annoyed her even more.

"Yes," Ben said skeptically. "I see that. What, exactly, is your plan to give this guy a taste of his own medicine?"

Anger was radiating off Lisa's body in waves. Had her wings been out, both men were positive they'd be flaming red. She growled, "I can break into the place and steal a syringe, no problem."

"Lis," said Ben, eliciting a glare from her that was both icy and hot at the same time. That nickname wasn't one he should be calling her. "You're getting overconfident again. Look what happened the first time." He gestured both to Gary and to Lisa's twisted ankle.

Suddenly, Gary felt an odd twinge somewhere in his body. He couldn't figure out what it was, yet he didn't like it. "Lisa?" he called softly.

She was so caught up with the argument that she didn't hear him. "I learn from my mistakes, thank you very much," she snapped. "I can figure out a way in and out."

"And how do you intend to inject the guy?" Ben asked, all too calmly, which furthered her anger. "The building probably has security."

"Invisibility."

"Which you can't keep up for very long. You know that."

The twinge was becoming more painful and localized around his chest. Gary called for her again, this time louder. "Lisa?"

Again, she didn't hear him. "Just enough. I'm not stupid, Ben."

"I didn't say you were. But, you're reckless."

Pain flitted through Gary's left arm. Some corner of his brain screamed: _heart attack_. If only he could get Lisa's attention…

"And you're not?" The heated argument continued, Lisa for some reason oblivious to Gary's plight.

Finally, as pain shot through his arm and chest, he cried, "_Lisa!_" and, at last, she noticed, for she clutched at her chest and groaned, knees buckling. Ben caught her before she lost her balance completely, but she pulled away very quickly as the link locked the pain out and was at Gary's side in an instant.

He, however, was still suffering and she needed to act quickly before any permanent damage happened. Rather than bark out orders to Ben, she figured things would go quicker if she did them herself, so she instead instructed him to stay with Gary.

Lisa raced to the kitchen and opened a cabinet to the right of the refrigerator. Inside was a whole manner of bottles and vials of Medicus' medicines. She picked one particular one out and carried it back with her. This particular one was a sort of spray bottle filled with an orange-colored liquid.

"Gar, open your mouth," she instructed. "I'm going to spray this in, and I want you to swallow."

Through pain, he managed to do as she told him. Almost immediately after he'd swallowed the orange-flavored medication, the pain in his arm and chest receded, leaving him drained and breathless, but no worse for wear than he had been that she could tell right away.

Lisa held one of his hands in her own, placing her other on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Gary nodded and took a deep breath. "I…I think so, yeah."

Ben idly pointed out, "You want Von Braun to go through that?"

Lisa shot him a look that could've melted lead. Before she could answer, Gary quietly asked if he could go back to his room. Lisa, of course, agreed and helped him back down the Hall, but the glance she threw over her shoulder at Ben promised that the argument was far from over.

_End chapter fifteen._


	16. Better Late Than Never

**Wow, another chapter! Go me!**

_Chapter Sixteen: Better Late Than Never_

The rest of the early morning had been emotionally and physically draining for all in the household, with the exception of the cats who had gone off to their own devices and hadn't been seen since the night before.

Lisa had, indeed, continued the previous argument with Ben and, like always, it had come out in a sort of stalemate. She couldn't understand how he could be so blasted _calm_ about everything, especially when she raised her voice to him.

"Don't you ever get angry?!" she'd finally demanded.

There was a beat, then, "Yes. But that was a mistake, and isn't part of my ways now."

Arguing with him hadn't accomplished much except make Lisa go a little hoarse from all the shouting she'd done, and she finally just snapped "Forget it!" and retreated back to Gary's room, falling asleep beside him.

Nobody awoke until almost early afternoon when the sun finally broke through the clouds and the birds had started singing again, indicating that the storm was over at last. Gary had also recovered a little from his heart attack and was actually feeling better than he had been. He asked Lisa if he could go outside and get some air now that there wasn't any more rain.

Needing any excuse whatsoever to avoid any contact with Ben, she agreed and helped him to the porch where they sat on the swing just to the side of the front door. They watched the odd-colored birds fly overhead while more odd-colored animals scurried on the ground. This place had a thing for weird colors, if that blue deer was any indication.

The rain had soaked everything, yet the air smelled fresh and clean. There was a slight perfume of unfamiliar flowers in the air – a scent mirrored faintly on Lisa herself, now that Gary thought about it. He hadn't really noticed before. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so; the rain probably had cooled things down considerably.

"So," Gary broke the silence they'd been sitting in. "How'd it go with him?"

Bitterness filtered through the link. "Like always…we don't agree, we argue, nobody wins. He makes it worse by not even getting angry."

"I noticed you don't like him around."

She shook her head. "No, I don't. He's been a constant thorn in my side since…a long time. Time really isn't an issue when you can time travel."

"You can do that?"

Lisa nodded. "It takes a lot of planning and concentration and effort, but yeah. I have to travel. I'd go nuts if I didn't. Besides, if I didn't, I wouldn't meet people like you."

Gary smiled and rested his head against her shoulder, listening to her double heartbeat and watching a lime green dragonfly hover around the steps.

"Can you talk to bugs, too?"

"Sure, but they speak differently than other animals do. Mostly body language."

The dragonfly he'd been watching buzzed in an intricate little pattern before flying off.

"That was 'goodbye'."

Gary just nodded. He was really only half paying attention, too busy wondering just how much longer he'd have to wait before he was cured, if ever.

"I'm sure Medicus is doing his best, Gar," said Lisa, reading his mind. "The rain probably slowed things down a lot."

Suddenly, in the distance, there was the sound of hooves and creaking of wheels. It was faint to Gary, but Lisa heard it clear as a bell.

"Then again," she added, "he's been known to work miracles."

The 18-hand stallion emerged from the forest pulling his wooden cart. He cantered over to the couple, all smiles if a unicorn could smile.

"I take it you have good news," said Lisa.

The unicorn nodded. "It's been difficult, what with the rain," he said, surprising Gary by speaking perfect English. "But, yes, I have succeeded in making an antitoxin."

Gary was a little stunned from being within almost-touching distance of an actual creature of legend. An elbow in his side from Lisa snapped him out of his reverie.

"That's great news," she said. "Is it edible, or what?"

Medicus glanced from Lisa to Gary and back. "Unfortunately, this is required to be injected directly into the bloodstream for maximum effect."

"You mean," said Gary, finally speaking up, "like a needle?"

"In a way," said the stallion. "My horn also doubles as a syringe. I assure you, you won't feel anything above a pinch. I will just need your arm and for you to hold still."

Any misgivings Gary had were abolished by the need be rid of the illness and to finally feel normal again. So, he held his arm out to Medicus and looked away, not wanting to see this, no matter how confident he sounded.

Medicus turned to his cart and once again made his horn take on its needle-like appearance. He filled it with an amber-colored liquid, came back to Gary, and pierced the skin of his arm. Gary winced, but made no other movements.

"It's cold," he noted as the liquid drained from Medicus's horn.

"How long will it take to work?" Lisa asked.

Medicus removed his horn. Again, the area was bloodless. "The toxin will have been purged from his system by this evening. There may be some residual effects that could continue into tomorrow, but that's all."

Gary finally opened his eyes and examined his arm and the circular scar that had been left behind. He didn't really feel any different than he had, yet, though he was intrigued by Medicus's insistence that it would work quickly.

"Do your medicines always work that fast?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," said Medicus. "What I do to make it so is a secret, however, none of my remedies have ever failed."

"He _is_ a miracle worker," said Lisa.

The unicorn shut his eyes in embarrassment. "I'm just very good at what I do." He turned to Gary and said, "I don't believe we've been formerly introduced. I am Medicus, the Healer of Alnilam." He made a little bow.

"Gary Hobson. Nice to meet you."

Lisa appeared to be thinking a moment, then asked, "How much of that stuff did you make?"

"Enough for Gary, plus two more dosages. Why?"

"I think it's high time I made a plan on how to get back at that mad scientist that caused this trouble in the first place."

_End chapter sixteen._


	17. She Has A Plan, Really

**Uh, oops? Sorry it's been so long for new chapters. I swore I'd uploaded the rest of the story. Oh well. Here ya go!**

_Chapter Seventeen: She Has A Plan, Really_

"You do realize you're completely insane, right?"

"Not completely. And that's beside the point."

Lisa, Ben, Gary, and Medicus were gathered in Lisa's living room, which was thankfully large enough to hold three people and an 18-hand unicorn stallion. She had just finished telling them of her plan to rid herself from Von Braun, and Ben had spoken his opinion.

"When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you," she concluded in her normal snappish tone.

Ben simply rolled his eyes at her, kicking her anger up another notch. "Why don't you just leave!" she demanded, her wings pulsating red. "The storm is over. It's time for you to go."

"You might need my help."

"Dammit, Ben, if I wanted your help, I'd ask for it!" she shouted. "I don't want you here, so the best thing for everyone is for you to go!"

"Lisa," Gary said, trying to calm her, "relax. Maybe…"

"_Don't_, Gary," she warned. She knew what he wanted to say, that maybe Ben _could _be of some help. She didn't want to hear it.

"He's right, though," said Medicus, eliciting an icy glare from Lisa. He cleared his throat. "You may not want his help, but you might certainly need it. What if you get captured again?"

Lisa's plan seemed simple enough: get into the Institute, snatch a syringe of the drug, and inject it into Von Braun. She'd leave him the antitoxin after he'd been affected enough by it and he swore to leave her alone. For good measure, she hoped to destroy everything he had on her, including the blood and whatever other samples he had on hand.

Some still-rational part of her was trying to get a message through that having another person there _would _be of some help, but the irrational rest of her firmly insisted that it _not_ be Ben.

"I suggest you let him go, Lisa," said Medicus. "Whether you like it or not, you might need him."

"I will _never_ need him," she growled.

"Be that as it may," said Medicus, "a second person may be an asset…and I don't think you'd want to put Gary in danger, would you?"

She threw a silent fit. "No," she said at length. This was a no-win situation. "Damn," she swore under her breath. "Fine, you can stay and 'help', but once I'm rid of this guy, you're _gone_, understand?" Her dark brown eyes bore into Ben's green ones, just daring him to disagree.

"That works," he said. "When do you intend to do this?"

"We have to find out what's going on on Earth, first," she said. "I'm hoping Von Braun has given up hope of finding us, or something."

"How do you do that?" asked Gary, curious.

"_**With me!"**_

Gary's cat had appeared, sitting on a newspaper. Fluffy came walking up a moment later. **_"How did you do that? I swore you were right behind me."_**

If Gary's cat could grin, he would have. **_"That's for me to know and you to find out, sweety."_**

"**_Oh, please,"_** she responded, rolling her eyes in the cat way.

"How'd a newspaper get here?" Ben asked.

Gary looked at Lisa, alarm in his thoughts, but she soothed them. _He doesn't know,_ she sent to him. _Don't worry. I won't tell. He doesn't need to know. _

"Cosmic paperboy," Lisa said aloud. "Now shut up so I can read." She picked up the paper and sat next to Gary so they both could scan the pages, looking for anything about Von Braun.

A moment later, she found it.

**THE SEARCH GOES ON FOR INSTITUTE ESCAPEES**

Dr. Walter Von Braun, head of the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth, has not deviated in his search for the female alien life form and local bar owner, Gary Hobson, who both escaped from the facility two days ago. When asked why he was so determined in his search, Von Braun had this to say:

"Just think! Aliens _are_ among us and we now know that we are no longer alone in the universe. What if she's not alone? What if there are more beings out there, pretending to be human, passing as our own kind? I wish to study her and find the answers to these questions. I increased security for the Institute, because I believe she'll want to return to destroy all my research. I will _not_ allow it."

Our reporters asked about Mr. Hobson, and Von Braun responded with, "The boy had no business breaking into my facility. I intend to turn him over to the authorities, once I examine him to see if he's been contaminated by this girl. I have the necessary permissions from the Chicago-P-D to do so."

Lisa and Gary exchanged a glance. This wasn't going to be easy.

_End chapter seventeen._


	18. BreakIn

_Chapter Eighteen: Break-In_

It had taken the rest of the afternoon and the better part of the evening for Lisa and company to plan their proverbial attack on the Institute. It was after 11PM, and Lisa hoped that meant that the building would be at least partially empty.

She was going to drop Gary off at Marissa's, both to sooth the blind woman's troubled mind and to keep Lisa's at ease while she and Ben did what they had to at the Institute. However, she couldn't take him there directly because she'd never been there before, as she could only teleport to places she knew. So, she first brought him home to his loft above McGinty's, and he took a cab to Marissa's with the promise that he'd contact Lisa over their link if anything happened.

Luckily, Lisa's ankle had healed and she'd finally stopped limping and any aftereffects of the toxin in Gary's system had been brought to a minimum, so she didn't have those things to worry about on top of everything else.

The time was closing in on 11:30 when Lisa and Ben arrived at the Institute building. The place was dark, save for a couple glowing windows. Good.

"Not so good," said Ben. "There are probably security cameras and guards."

Irritated, Lisa just bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. In her pocket, she had a vial of the antitoxin. All she needed was a syringe of the original drug and everything would be set.

"Okay," she said, more to herself than to Ben, "we have to get inside. Gary told me he got in through a service entrance around back." Without another word, she headed in that direction.

"And what if the door's locked?"

Lisa's wings twitched and it took all her willpower not to tell him to shut up. They came to the door and, miraculously, found it unlocked.

"This could be a trap," whispered Ben.

Scowling, ignoring him, she went inside, her wings glowing in the semidarkness. Her body shimmered and went transparent; she had gone partially invisible, and only Ben could see her now.

Ben wrapped a strange, silvery cloak around himself. It caused him to become invisible, as well, and Lisa only had a sense of where he was from his heartbeat and breathing.

Together, they made their way deeper into the Institute. When they reached the third floor, they eased the door open as quietly as possible and peeked through. Though dark, the hallway had two security guards patrolling the area with flashlights and walkie-talkies.

They slipped through the door and kept near the walls. Even though they were invisible, little things could still make their presence known.

Passing by a coat closet, a black blob through the smoked glass caught Lisa's eye. She waited until the guards passed out of ear-and-eye-shot, then opened it up. Inside hung Gary's leather jacket.

"Ben," hissed Lisa, "take that. I can't hold it or it'll drain the invisibility power more."

"Aren't we wasting time?" he asked, though he took the jacket anyway. It disappeared underneath his cloak.

Lisa didn't answer him. She closed the door and moved on, finally coming to the room where the vials of the drug were housed.

The room was very sterile and very dark. Lisa dared not turn on any lights for fear of being noticed. She was silently grateful that only she and Ben could see the light coming from her wings.

Glancing around, her eyes fell on a cabinet in the corner. Inside were vials, all clearly labeled. However, the cabinet was locked with a heavy padlock.

"Damn!" she swore as loudly as she dared, turning angrily away from the cabinet and looking around for something to break the glass.

Suddenly, she heard Ben mutter something under his breath, then a click, and turned around just in time to see his arm disappear inside his cloak. The lock was open.

Not caring how _that_ was accomplished, she tore the lock off and opened the cabinet. She scanned the labels, though some of them were those big, long names only scientists could read. She took them, anyway, and filled the sack she had Ben carrying. No need to drain her invisibility powers even more than they would be unless it were necessary.

Inside the room was also a small refrigerator and she investigated that, as well. That's where she found her blood samples and more vials. She took everything. Everything she could find that could even in the remotest way have anything to do with her she took. Ben had to carry it all, though she held one vial labeled "NEUROLOGICAL INHIBITOR". She was positive that was the drug Gary had gotten injected with. She also took two syringes from the counter and pocketed them, as well.

Now, all she had to do was find Von Braun.

_End chapter eighteen._


	19. A Taste of His Own Medicine

_Chapter Nineteen: A Taste of His Own Medicine_

Finding Von Braun proved easier than they thought, however, it was skirting the guards and sneaking through the building that proved tough. Though, somehow, they managed.

Von Braun was holed up in an office, hunched over his desk, muttering to himself and taking notes. The sight of him filled Lisa with anger, but she kept it in check. Instead, she reached into her pocket for the syringe and vial, filling one with the other while Ben quietly locked the door. She positioned the filled syringe above a vein in Von Braun's neck, and jammed it in, emptying the contents before he knew what hit him.

Ben threw off the cloak and held the scientist at bay, one hand over his mouth, while Lisa cut her invisibility power.

Recognition filled Von Braun's eyes as he set them upon Lisa. She growled, "Make one sound or one wrong move and I swear you won't live to see the sunrise."

Von Braun glared at her, and she glared right back. She was much better at it. "You," she said, "are the cause of all my problems. You're the reason he got sick, because of your drugs. And, now, that drug is in _you_."

This made his eyes go wide. She now noticed that they were large and brown, like a puppy dog. This did not sway her attitude.

"Yes," she said. "The drug you made for me is now flowing in your bloodstream. As I'm sure you're well aware, it's not made to be used on humans." She paused, straining her telepathic powers to pick up any trace of what the drug was doing to his system. "The stuff could probably kill you if left to its own devices," she went on.

Von Braun had been struggling against Ben's hold, but now his struggles started to weaken. The drug was taking effect much faster on the scientist's older body.

"Let him go," said Lisa to Ben. "But be ready to make a move if need be."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Do it."

Reluctantly, Ben let him go. Von Braun tried to shout, but nothing came out but a dry wheeze. He tried to stand and run, but his legs collapsed. Once again, he glared at her.

Lisa folded her arms across her chest. "How do you like how it feels? This crap you injected into me…" She held up the empty syringe. "This got into my friend and almost killed him. Thankfully, a cure was found, and I'll give it to you, _after_ you promise never to bother me again."

"No…" Von Braun wheezed.

"Mm," she murmured. "I figured you'd say that." She went to the desk and looked over the papers on it. Every one of them had information about her. She gathered them up and stuffed them into the sack. Von Braun tried to stop her, but Ben knocked him down.

"You don't know what she's capable of," he warned.

Lisa could tell Von Braun was losing his focus as the drug in his system spread. Even so, he asked in a whisper, "Just tell me…_what are you_?"

"Exactly what you thought. I'm an alien. And that's all you need to know. Either leave me alone, or suffer with this stuff in your system until it kills you. I have no qualms whatsoever with letting it do so." In truth, she did, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"You…my research…"

"Is rightfully mine, as it's about _me_." Her wings flared red. "I would've taken care of you long ago if I knew you'd been after me since then."

"You can't…" He put his head in his hands, trying to get his thoughts together. Lisa could sense the weakness setting in.

"Promise me you'll leave me alone, and I'll give you the antitoxin. Don't suffer needlessly."

The scientist collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily, fighting to stay conscious. "I can't…" he gasped. "All my work…my life's work…"

"Get yourself a new damned hobby!" Lisa snapped. "You can't make a living out of making another's life a living Hell! If I have to keep an eye out for you forever, I won't be able to live! Don't you get it? Earth isn't my favorite planet in the cosmos, but I happen to like it here! I find…I find what I need here. I am not a guinea pig for your experiments. I'm a living, breathing person! Okay, so I'm not human, but who gives a damn? I can give you a list of people who don't."

Von Braun stared at her, his eyes watering. He looked almost…pathetic. Lisa almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

The scientist was quiet for a good minute, then, "All right…I promise…"

Lisa knelt next to him and stared into his eyes. "Don't lie to me. I hate it when people lie to me. I can always tell if someone's lying to me."

"I'm not…honest…"

She searched his mind, straining her powers once again. She had to be sure. Finding nothing that told her he was telling an untruth, she brought out the second vial and syringe. Checking once more to make sure he was true to his word, she finally injected the antitoxin into his bloodstream. She'd had Medicus tweak the recipe a little, making sure that, while it would still work, it'd work slower than the one he'd administered to Gary. The guy still needed to suffer for what he did to her.

Lisa pocketed everything and gestured for Ben to gather everything and stand beside her. To Von Braun, she said, "If I ever, _ever_ get word that you're after me again, I swear you will regret it for the rest of your life."

She took Gary's jacket and the sack of materials while Ben folded his cloak over one arm and placed his free hand on Lisa's shoulder. With one, final look at the still-incapacitated scientist on the floor, Lisa growled, "The _rest of your life_. You have _my_ word on that."

Lisa, Ben, and everything with them disappeared in a flash of light.

_End chapter nineteen._


	20. Epilogue

**AL knows people. Michael J. Fox just might be one of them. XD**

_Chapter Twenty: Epilogue_

It had taken Gary practically all the time Lisa and Ben were gone to explain to a very distraught Marissa what had happened and what was yet to happen. Lisa had given Gary permission to tell her whatever he felt was necessary for her to understand the situation. The blind woman didn't really know whether to believe him or not, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt until they returned.

While she could not see the flash of light, the crackle of the teleportation energy could be clearly heard.

"What was that?" Marissa asked.

"That, Miss Clark," said Lisa, "was me."

Gary practically leaped off the couch to embrace her. He was feeling much better now that she was there with him. "Oh, Lisa…how'd it go? What did you do? What happened?"

"Easy, Gar," Lisa said, gently making him sit again. "I'll explain everything. Just relax."

The wee hours of the morning were sneaking up on them when Lisa had finally finished. She not only had to explain what had happened at the Institute, but also explain to Marissa that she was, indeed, just what Gary had said she was: an alien life form. She let Marissa feel her wings and her double pulse as proof, lest she think Lisa was an angel.

"So," said Marissa, "this…mad scientist truly will leave you alone?"

"I can only hope," replied Lisa. "Gar, do you have the paper on you?"

He shook his head. "It's gone. I don't know if we left it on Alnilam or it just disappeared. We'll have to wait 'til morning to find out what happened."

Ben shot them a curious look, but Lisa rounded on him, finally able to say, "Okay, I'm in the clear, now, so get lost. I don't need you anymore and I want you out of here."

"Are you positive that Von Braun's not going to try anything?" he countered.

This made Lisa mad all over again. "Dammit, just _leave_!" she snapped. "I'm sure he won't do anything fishy, and, if he does, I'll just make him regret it, that's all. You're not needed here, anymore, so I suggest you beat it before I make _you_ regret something, too."

Ben knew that was a rather empty threat, as there wasn't much Lisa _could_ do to get rid of him and she knew it. Ordering him to leave was just about the extent she could get to. The only other way was to leave the planet herself, and, since she now had Gary, she wasn't about to do that.

"All right," he finally relented. "I'll go. Gary, nice meeting you." He shook Gary's hand and took Marissa's. "Miss Clark."

"Goodbye," she said, gently shaking his hand.

He glanced at Lisa once more, a look in his eyes that she didn't like but could not name, he left the apartment and shut the door behind him.

Relieved, Lisa collapsed beside Gary on the couch. "Finally," she sighed. "I thought I'd _never_ get rid of him."

Rather than go home, Marissa invited them both to stay the rest of the night, which they heartily agreed to. The couch in the living room could be converted into a bed, so Gary and Lisa shared that.

The next morning, at 6:30, right on schedule, there was a "Meow!" and a _thunk_ outside the door. Groggily, the couple went to get the paper as the cat ran in and leaped onto the bed.

**_"I guess you guys made it home safe and sound,"_** he said.

"So did you," Lisa replied. "Gary, anything about me in the paper?"

He was already looking, and a grin spread across his face when he found it.

**LOCAL SCIENTIST CALLING IT QUITS AFTER FORTY YEARS OF WORK**

Dr. Walter Von Braun, head of the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth, has reported to our offices that he'd like to retract all previous mentions of an alien female escaping from his facility.

"I'm dropping the charges," he says, "and going into retirement. I'm really too old to be cavorting around the world, searching for aliens. I'm destroying my research, and donating my building and all its equipment to the…to help find the cure for Parkinson's disease."

When asked about his sudden change of heart, Von Braun just offered a "No comment".

"He actually did it," said Gary. "You did it, Lisa! You got him off your back!" He looked closely at the article. "Parkinson's disease? What brought that on?"

Lisa smiled a little. "I know a couple people with that disease. I thought it was only right."

Their celebrating woke Marissa, who was, also, overjoyed at the news. She said, "Maybe, now, things can get back to normal."

Lisa smiled. "Or as normal as things _can_ get, for a guy who gets tomorrow's news today."

"And," Gary concluded, placing his arm around her shoulders, "his out-of-this-world girlfriend."

_The End_


End file.
